


Rumor Has It

by kayjscage



Category: South Park
Genre: Genderfluid!Kenny, Happy, Kyvid Mention, M/M, Multi, No Angst, Nonbinary!Tweek, Stendyle Mention, Stylendy Mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-01 23:50:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8642986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayjscage/pseuds/kayjscage
Summary: "Rumor travels faster, but it don't stay put as long as truth." ~Will Rogers





	1. Crenny Date

**Author's Note:**

> Okay a friend of mine helped me go through this thing and edit it. Honestly I love her so much bc she helped a lot and I love this even more after I used some of her suggestions. I feel it reads easier in some places. If you read this before I’d suggest giving it another go and seeing how you like it now. Thank you so much, Brandi. You’re a major babe <3
> 
> Also, for first time readers, later on there's mention of a Will Smith meme. If you don't know what this is referring to, you might be confused, so here's a link to the meme/pose in question: http://9gag.com/gag/5482540/but-then-there-s-will-smith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenny learns what a huge nerd Craig actually is.

“Okay, you can do this!” Kenny whispered to himself, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He shimmied his arms, trying to shake out the nerves. He had a lot to be nervous about. Many before him had faced the task he set himself with and walked away empty-handed. The success rate of this task was certainly disconcerting, but Kenny knew he needed to summon all his confidence if he was to have a chance at prevailing.

Craig Tucker was a force to be reckoned with and respected. There were numerous tales of his adventures, his bravery, and determination to do no good. Many claimed that they were taken to bed by the legend and had the night of their life, painting it as a religious experience. There were many stories of the battles Craig had won, utterly pulverizing his foe In the end, walking away with a new scar or bruise to add the collection, proof of his warrior status. Most popular of the Craig Tucker anthology were those describing his rebellion against authority, be it at school or any place an adult dared to rear their dictatorial head. Craig was a freedom fighter, the metaphorical Katniss to South Park High School’s own District 12.

Kenny stole another glance at his most formidable love interest yet, gave himself another small pep talk, steeled himself for devastating rejection, and walked up to the noirette.

“Craig,” Kenny made himself known in a sultry voice, earning the boys attention. “I was wondering if you would honor me with your presence tonight,” he offered, trying his best to keep a suave tone and bowing slightly, banking on a combination of humor and sex appeal to get him through this. He hoped Craig couldn’t see his palms sweating.

Craig gave him a genuinely amused snort. “Hey, man. It depends what you have in mind.”

“Oh, just a little adventure. Nothing crazy, like the shit my friends get up to. Just you, me, the town. Maybe something to eat here or there,” his voice dripping with the promise of enjoyment.

“Good, I’d hate for you guys to send me off to Peru again, or God knows where. A night with you sounds much more delightful,” he smiled. “Gimme your number and we can hash out the details?”

“No, no, my friend, this will be a surprise. You only need to know when I’ll be arriving,” Kenny protested, taking his phone out to add Craig as a contact.

“Alright, dude, whatever. Can’t wait,” Craig shoved his phone back in his pocket and bid Kenny a goodbye, leaving the blonde awestruck by his success.

Kenny had to stop himself from shouting his joy to the heavens, fearing it might earn him a “Yeah, never mind.” He carried himself to the boys restroom, barely able contain himself, and as soon as the door clicked shut he let out a howl of victory, pumping his fists into the air and spinning around. He got a date with Craig Fucking Tucker! The impossible happened!

Kenny McCormick couldn’t believe his luck. It was almost too easy. He had landed a date with Craig Tucker. Somehow. There was a long line of people hoping for even an acknowledgment from South Park’s resident badass, let alone an actual date, and all Kenny did was ask. He started to wonder what made him so special, but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, he had to think of where he was gonna take Craig, since he bullshitted his way through the interaction.

He began thinking of restaurants he could take Craig to. He landed himself a nice job, even for a high school student, so he could afford to take him someplace that wasn’t McDonald’s. At the same time, though, Craig probably wouldn’t wanna go to some hoity-toity five star restaurant, not that there were many of those in South Park to begin with. Well, maybe they didn’t need to eat a restaurant at all. Just grab some grub and go? But where? Where would Craig like to hang out on a date? How well did Kenny even know Craig anymore? It’d been years since they last hung out and Craig sure had climbed the social ladder. Kenny was well-liked for being easy going, someone you could tell anything to without fear of judgment, a kid with a good head on his shoulders with which to give solid advice, but some of his friends had risen above him. He didn’t know how or when it happened but suddenly Craig was way out of his league; practically a stranger.

A hesitant clank of metal ripped him from his thoughts. He swiveled on his heels from the mirror to face the stalls, cheeks flaring red at the realization that he had a witness to him shouting mirthfully and punching the air.

His curiosity was soothed when a disastrous lion mane of light blonde and malachite green eyes peeked from behind the HDPE plastic slab that was the bathroom stall door. Tweek Tweak shuffled shyly out of the stall and awkwardly crept over to the sinks, placing himself beside Kenny. “I-I’m sorry, Kenny. I was already in h-here when you came in and, uh, shouted?” he squeaked.

Kenny chuckled warmly, ruffling the other blondes fair hair, despite the protest he received. “No, I’m sorry, Tweek. I bet I scared you. I’m surprised you didn’t scream.”

“Trust me, I made some kind of noise, but I think you drowned it out, so you didn’t notice. What’s got you in such a good mood?” Tweek smiled up at Kenny.

Kenny and Tweek were practically best friends. Well, closer to be being besties than he was with most people he knew. Kenny wasn’t really one for “best friends.” He was everyone’s friend, if they’d let him be, but something about Tweek was just so warm that Kenny couldn’t help but wrap his arms around the boy at every opportunity. You could joke that it was all the coffee he drank, but it’s just that Tweek was a genuinely nice person. He didn’t have the programming in his brain necessary for understanding the idea of being needlessly cruel to others. He just wanted people to chill out and be excellent to each other. Kenny felt there wasn’t enough of that in the world, so Tweek was his number one when it came to hanging out. Clyde has used his meme language to describe Tweek as a “precious cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure.” Kenny was inclined to agree with him.

“I got a date!” Kenny blurted out. “With Craig! Can you believe that?”

“Oh! Good for you! It’s not that hard, though. I know there are those stories floating around, but Craig’s a bit different from what everyone thinks,” Tweek admitted, giving a shrug. “He’s just rejected so many people because he knows they’re trying to get at his popularity, or because they’re just enticed by who the rumors say he is, not who he actually is.”

“I guess you would know, being a part of his friend group, but…” Kenny had to stop for a second. Tweek’s words shook him and he considered for the first time that he had been doing the same. He didn’t know Craig anymore. He knew the stories.

Tweek saw the rattled look on Kenny’s face and caught on to this revelation. “Oh man. Don’t tell me you fell for the hype too?” He offered a sympathetic smile. “That’s not like you.”

“I dunno how that happened. I’m usually better than that,” Kenny said, admitting his disappointment in himself, trying to laugh it off. “It’s so easy to get caught up in the rumor mill sometimes.”

“We’ve all gotten our heads trapped in the fog,” Tweek comforted him. “How did you go about asking him out?”

“I just walked up to him and asked.”

“Did he ask you any questions?”

“Nah. Just asked for my number so we could figure out a game plan.”

“Shit, really? He usually asks people some questions, trying to gauge if they wanna date him or his stories. See why they like him to begin with, y’know? He must really trust you to just accept your intentions,” Tweek smiled brightly at him.

That made Kenny feel worse about his presumptuous attitude. “Really? Why? I haven’t really talked to him in a few years. Besides a ‘good morning’ or ‘hey dude’ every now and again. Sometimes we get paired up for projects and it’s fun while we’re hanging out, but we split pretty quick when it’s done.”

Tweek gave him an incredulous laugh. “Dude, what? You have a reputation of your own, y’know. People trust you. You don’t take people’s secrets and blast them all over the school. You give solid advice. You’re chill and can handle people when they get emotional, so people feel like they can really let it all out around you. Anyone can come to you about anything and walk away with a new perspective, or a solution, and can trust that what they told you will stay with you. And dude, you’re so real! You don’t play around with feelings or tell people what they want to hear! Even if it hurts, you tell people what they need to hear! Ugh, and you don’t do that douchey thing where you say you’re ‘brutally honest’ as an excuse to get away with being an asshole. That’s probably why Craig just up and accepted. He knows you’re the real deal and he’s not the only one. Everyone knows you’re fucking legit.”

Kenny was pleasantly astonished. He took a moment to let those words sink in. He knew he was well liked, but didn’t think he had such an impression on people. He was just trying to be a good person and to not let the world be so negative all the time. He liked helping people with their problems. He knew there were some things you couldn’t talk to your friends or parents about, so talking to someone who was a stranger – or, almost a stranger, given that everyone knew everyone in this town – was freeing. It made him happy when he could help people could relieve themselves of their doubts or concerns, if only for a moment.

Tweek looked a bit embarrassed to have just gone off like that and blushed brightly, muttering an apology. Kenny gave him a hug to let him know it was alright. “Dude, that’s so sweet. I’m glad I could give people the feeling of knowing they’re safe with me. Thank you.”

Tweek stiffened for a moment, but melted into the embrace. “You’re welcome. Now, where’re you taking him?”

Kenny eased off his solid hug and stepped back, sighing sheepishly. “Well, funny thing is, is that I don’t have a plan,” he admitted awkwardly.

“What?” Tweek asked with an annoyed sigh.

“I got pumped! I-I got up the nerve to finally ask him out and I knew I had to act right then or I’d fizzle out!”

“Wow,” Tweek almost sounded impressed. “You’ve got some great power for being able to luck yourself out of anything.”

“Yeah, I am pretty awesome,” Kenny praised himself jokingly. “Now, tell me what he likes. You gotta help me out, dude.”

“He likes space. He’s a huge fucking nerd. His reputation is a running joke in our group ‘cause we all know what a major geek he really is. He loves space exploration, study of the cosmos, and all that shit. Maybe take him camping? So you can romantically gaze up at the stars,” Tweek sighed in a mock whimsical voice, shimming his hands for dramatic flare.

Kenny was dazzled by the suggestion. “Dude, that sounds amazing! I could fit a mattress and pillows and a blanket in the bed of my truck. I have a cover for it too so it’ll be a surprise! What kind of food does he like? I’ll prepare like a gay little picnic box or something!”

“Guess it’s a good thing you asked him out on a Friday, huh? You’ll get him to yourself all weekend,” Tweek chuckled, texting Kenny a list of Craig’s favorite meals.

-

Kenny pulled up in Craig’s driveway and sent the boy a text telling him he had arrived. He shoved his phone back into his pockets and took deep breaths. He had calmed down from his groupie hype and reminded himself that Craig was more than just the stories told at school. He was determined to get to know Craig all over again.

Craig exited his house and waltzed right up to Kenny’s truck, giving it a good look. Kenny was glad to see the impressed look on his face. He had wanted to ask Craig out for a while now, but he had decided to wait until he bought a new vehicle so he wouldn’t be driving the boy around in some rusted, barely working piece of scrap.

“Nice ride,” Craig commented upon hoisting himself into the cab. “What’s that?” he inquired, pointing to the basket set between the seats.

“Dinner,” Kenny blurted out, feeling his face heat up and his mouth dry just by being so close to the noirette. He knew Craig was a person, not just a bundle of rumors, but he still got flustered around him. “U-um, I was thinking I’d take you far out where we could see the stars. Y’know, so we can see them without the town lights obscuring them.”

“That’s cool.”

“Yeah.”

“… So where are exactly are you taking me? A cabin?”

“You’ll see,” Kenny coughed and started the truck, pulling out of the driveway and down the road.

“You, uh, like Fall Out Boy?” Kenny clicked the radio to life, the Save Rock and Roll album filling in the awkward space between them.

“Yeah, they’re pretty cool. This is my favorite album.”

“So I’ve heard,” Kenny grinned. “I like Folie à Deux best, but this a very close second.”

“What’s your favorite song from this one?”

“Wow, you’re seriously asking me that? How am I supposed to choose? Honestly, they’re all so good!”

“Come on, if you could only listen to one song per album, which would be the one from this one?” Craig persisted with a grin.

Kenny beamed proudly at having gotten a smile out of Craig. “Uuuugh, maaaaan. I gueesss I have to choose Young Volcanoes? Or maybe Rat A Tat? No, Where Did The Party Go? But dude, the song Save Rock and Roll itself is sooo goood! It’s got Elton John!”  
Craig snorted, trying to repress a full laugh. “Mine is Miss Missing You… Just One Yesterday after that.”

They spent the whole drive critiquing the rest of Fall Out Boy’s discography, listening their all time favorites, and singing along. Craig was perfect with the whole album. There wasn’t a missed note to be found, and his pitch was perfect. Craig sang easily, and with feeling. Meanwhile, Kenny’s chest felt tight and his stomach was doing flips. He thought he must have sounded terrible trying to sing under these conditions. Halfway through the album he gave up on his performance, deciding to let Craig entertain him for a while. He sat back in his seat, contentedly listening to the way that Craig’s voice meshed flawlessly with Patrick Stump’s, and as the music filled his ears he couldn’t help but wish Craig would cover their full work. ‘It would be the only music I’d listen to for the rest of my life,’ Kenny concluded, smiling at the thought. As he looked to the singer beside him, he was sure he wouldn’t mind if this ride lasted forever.

Before even Kenny knew it, they had arrived at their destination. He pulled up to the edge of the woods looking out onto a vast, open field. Tall, wild grass was the only filler for the empty space. There was no sign of human presence for miles. The sky was clear of clouds, which Kenny was thankful for. Craig marveled at the free majesty of nature, the setting sun painting the sky orange and purple.

“I think those are my new favorite colors,” the words fell from his lips softly, like he didn’t mean to say them but they escaped from his brain.

“Same,” Kenny added lamely, but Craig found it amusing, so there’s that. “Here, lemme turn the truck around real quick.”

“What, so we’ll be facing the forest? Why?”

“Yooou’ll seee~,” Kenny chanted with an air of mystery.

As soon as they were parked in the opposite direction, Kenny grabbed the basket, hopped out of the truck, and began walking with a giddy sense of purpose. Craig followed him closely, watching with amusement as Kenny discarded the cover, revealing a comfy set up that consisted of a full-sized mattress, pillows with star-patterned cases, and a fitting galaxy print comforter to match.

“Ta-da~~!” Kenny sang, posing in a way that reminded Craig of that Will Smith meme Clyde had shown him.

“Wow,” he whispered in awe as he slowly stepped backwards, making room for Kenny to lower the tailgate. Kenny extended his hand, and Craig took it, letting himself be guided into the bed. As he made himself cozy under the thick blanket, he ran his hands over it, enjoying the texture. Kenny settled in beside him.

“Um, listen. I want to apologize,” Kenny started, before nervously clearing his throat. He took note of the heat that was slowly spreading across his face as he awkwardly rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, before looking up to notice Craig staring at him in bewilderment.

“Dude. You brought me here, away from that dumbass town, where we have the perfect view for stargazing, you went out of your way to make me more comfortable, and you packed me a dinner… So, why are you the one apologizing? I should be saying I’m sorry, not you. You’re the one who went to all this trouble.”

“I’m supposed to be better. I don’t usually give in to the rumors that float around the school, or the town, but I let myself get jumbled up in the stories everyone was telling about you. I realized that I don’t even know you anymore, not like when we were kids, and even then it’s not like we were best friends. I became infatuated with someone who wasn’t real,” Kenny admitted shamefully. He was still disappointed in himself. Kenny knew that in South Park you take nothing at face value and every story with a gigantic grain of salt.

“Well, you’re still better than nearly everyone else at school. At least you’re trying to know me. Most people just throw themselves at me. They don’t even try to know me. They think they already do. I won’t tell you it’s okay, but I forgive you, and I’m not mad. How could I be when you’ve given me a view like this? So don’t beat yourself up about it,” Craig tried to cheer him up, awkwardly placing a hand on Kenny’s shoulder.

“Thanks,” Kenny accepted the gesture. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Well, it does fucking suck when people think they know you when they never even talk to you. I hate when people think things about me without even coming to me for my side of the story. I can’t complain though. I can keep my friends safe with my reputation. No one wants to risk the consequences of picking a fight with any of Craig Tucker’s friends. No one picks on Clyde for being overweight or being a crybaby, no one makes fun of Token for being rich or black, and no one’s called Tweek a spaz for a long time, among other things. So I guess I should be thankful.”

“How’d all this even start? You weren’t so cool when we were still in elementary school.”

“Well, everyone always thought I was trouble maker because I always flipped the teachers off. To be honest, dude, I don’t even realize I’m doing it. It’s almost like a tick. It just happens and I don’t even know it. And I’ve got this resting bitch face, so I seem unapproachable,” Craig laughed. “Then I got into a fight.”

“Yeah, that thing in middle school? With Jeff?”

“Yeah. Y’know, Tweek’s the fighter. After your gang pitted Tweek and I against each other, when he got out of the hospital, he kept going to Ned for boxing lessons. It helped him get out all his pent up energy, and helped him focus better in class. He taught me some moves here and there. When Jeff and I fought, I can’t even remember about what, but I slipped on a patch of ice. My foot slid into his and he lost balance. He fell right on my fist and it looked like I landed a mean uppercut on him. I knocked him out. The biggest bully in the school and I took him out. There were a few fights after that, but they weren’t as tough as Jeff, so it was easy. They solidified the idea that I was strong.” Craig stopped and laughed quietly to himself. “Heh, y’know, people talk a lot about seeing me sitting outside the counselor’s office with cuts and bruises, but I haven’t gotten into a big fight since the first year of high school. It’s just Clyde or Tweek and I play fighting. We just play rough as Hell so I’ve always got some kind of minor injury. I’m always going to the counselor because… I want to be an aerospace engineer.” Craig paused, letting those words sit in the air, expecting some kind of disapproving or mocking noise.

“Whoa. You mean, like, one of those people who build spacecraft and shit? You gotta be wicked smart for that! And you’ve got the best grades of anyone in our class! You’re up there with Kyle and Wendy!” Kenny exclaimed, shaking his fists excitedly.

“Yeah. I’m always talking to the counselor because we gotta map out my career plan, make sure I’m on the right course. She’s concerned about my reputation, worrying I might fight my way out of a good school or something. I have to constantly tell her it’s fine, they’re just rumors. Man, trying to be top of the class is tough, especially in math and science. I know it seems like that shit just comes to me, but it doesn’t. I gotta work super hard.”

“It’s amazing you still find time for friends. Or dates,” Kenny blushed.

Craig gave a hum of acknowledgment. “What about you?”

“Huh?”

“What do you wanna do? In life?”

“Find a sugar daddy and live comfortably,” Kenny deadpanned.

Craig spit out his drink cartoonishly. “What? That’s not a plan!”

Kenny tried to suppress a laugh, wanting to see how long he could keep this going, but he couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Ha ha ha ha!! I’m not serious! Oh my God, the look on your face! Haha, I’m so making you wash this blanket when we get home!”

“Asshole,” Craig growled, trying to pull his hat down over his face and hide. “I can’t believe I fell for that.”

“Seriously though,” Kenny began, letting his laughter die out. “I wanna be a mechanic. I love the messy feeling of grease on my hands and all the metallic sounds…” He paused for a moment, shrugging. “Makes me happy.”

“… That’s pretty average. I thought maybe you’d be a prostitute or something.”

“You can believe I’d be a whore but not someone’s sugar baby?” Kenny saw the smirk Craig was giving him and how he was barely keeping down his own laughter. He blushed at his own gullibility. “Oh, so now you’ve got jokes. Great. Fucker.”

“Heh, well, cars are always gonna need fixing, so there’s stability in that. I may not even make it as an engineer.”

“What’ll you do if you don’t make it?” Kenny tried to be comforting, though Craig didn’t seem too bothered at the prospect of not making his dream.

“Don’t look at me like that. Competition is tough in that industry and only the best make it. I understand perfectly well I may not have what it takes to do it, or that someone will be better than me. It’s fine. It would suck, but I’ll try my best and that’s all I can do. If it doesn’t work, I’ll work with Tweek at his family’s coffee shop. Tweek’s going to college to major in business management.”

“Now who seems average? What a difference. Space engineer or barista,” Kenny joked.

“Well it’s secure. Tweek’ll always be there for me,” Craig sighed romantically.

“Heh, y’know, he helped me with asking you out. Made me realize I was caught up in your legend, told me what you like and all that. He was super encouraging,” Kenny told him, grateful once again for Tweek’s help.

“Yeah, Tweek’s a sweetheart. It’s his best trait; how kind he is. It’s why I’ve loved him for so long,” Craig declared, biting his lip sheepishly.

An abrupt record scratch interrupted Kenny’s thoughts and time seemed to stop. ‘”It’s why I’ve loved him for so long?” What the hell is that supposed to mean? We’re on a date, but he’s dating Tweek? How does that work? Or does he have unrequited feelings for Tweek? Did he forget this is a date? No, no, he couldn’t’ve, I made myself pretty clear at school today. Why would he come if he had feelings for Tweek? Why would he admit them so casually? Right now of all times?’ Kenny’s brain was working in overdrive, trying to put the pieces of this puzzle together, but he even couldn’t find an edge piece to get him started.

Craig look over at Kenny, wondering where the conversation went. He could see the wheels spinning; the equations he was failing to solve. “Dude. You didn’t know Tweek and I were together?”

“Uh, pf-, but I-, ehh? I-if you two a-are dating, why’d you accept my offer?!” Kenny sputtered irately before his voice would work properly.

“… Oh man. Shit, dude. I’m sorry, I thought you knew. I mean, more than just about Tweek and I. Like, I thought you knew we were poly,” Craig apologized, wincing in embarrassment.

“P-poly? Huh?”

“Polyamorous. We practice polyamory. Like Stan, Kyle, and Wendy. Those two assholes are your friends, you must know they’re both dating Wendy? And each other?” Craig clarified. “And Kyle’s dating David Rodriguez too! You gotta know these things!”  
“I don’t! I don’t know what you’re talking about! Since when has all this been going on?!” Kenny flew his hands in the air, feeling like Craig was speaking in another language.

“Oh my God! You dork! Okay, listen,” Craig shifted to face Kenny, sitting on his knees. “Polyamory is when more than two people date and are in love. Like, okay, Stan is dating Kyle and Wendy. Wendy is dating Kyle and Stan. Kyle is dating Stan, Wendy, and David. David is only dating Kyle but not Stan or Wendy. When that happens it’s called being a metamour, or ‘the lover of my lover, but not my lover.’ But Stan, Wendy, and Kyle all love each other. They are all together, you get it?” Craig tried to get through to Kenny.

“I, but, you can’t, do that? I mean, how can you love more than one person equally?”

“Dude, oh my God, if that’s true how do your parents love you, your brother, and your sister all equally? Or do you think your parents have more love for one sibling over the others? Do you love your sister or your brother more? Love isn’t like money, where if you give some to someone you have less to give to someone else. Love is a feeling and feelings can’t be measured. You absolutely can equally love more than one person at a time, you dingus,” Craig admonished Kenny, gently ‘punching’ him on the head.

Kenny could do nothing but sit quietly. He had to think about this.

Craig continued anyway, hoping further clarification would make this easier. “So, I thought you knew Tweek and I were a thing. To be honest, I’ve… kinda been crushing on you for a while,” Craig declared timidly, catching Kenny’s attention again. “Tweek gave me permission to ask you out any time, but I was nervous. He told me that if you ever initiated anything, I could accept right away without asking him. He told me you asked him for some advice for the date. He was super excited for me. We both thought that since you’re close with Stan and Kyle, you would know that they’re poly and what that meant.”

“They never told me anything. I’ve heard rumors about Kyle getting between Stan and Wendy, or how Wendy’s a whore for sleeping with Stan’s best friend, but I didn’t believe that shit. Wendy’s a nice, smart, strong girl, so of course people would want to smear her name. Same with Kyle. I guess maybe they’re just not ready to come out with it?” Kenny paused, coming back to what Craig said just a second ago. “You have a crush on me?”

“Fucking majorly, dude.”

“Nice.”

“Yeah.”

“So, does this mean I have to date Tweek too, or… because I’m down as fuck with dating Tweek, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“I think he’d like that. He’s fond of you. You’re like his best friend outside of our group. He even told me that of all the people in school I could crush on, he’s glad it’s you,” Craig smiled at the blonde.

“Sweet! I think I still need to sit down and, like, study, this whole poly thing. I don’t wanna rush into a threeway relationship without knowing what I’m doing and having all these dumb expectations.”

“I got some links you can look at, so I’ll send those to you when we get home. Are we going home tonight or tomorrow?”

“I was thinking we could sleep under the stars~,” Kenny cooed, draping himself over Craig playfully. “Like in some chick-flick!”

Craig laughed, embracing Kenny and leaning his head on his shoulder. “So, what grub did you pack us?”

They ate turkey sandwiches and drank iced tea while Craig pointed out the constellations, giving Kenny mythology lessons as many of the stars and planets are named after Greek gods, goddesses, and myth figures. He told Kenny that his zodiac was Aries and what that told about his personality. Kenny was amazed that Craig could get a mildly accurate idea about who he was based on the placement of the stars at his time of birth. Eventually, after they were done eating, they sat together peacefully, Craig laying down to rest his head on Kenny’s lap.

“Wow. I didn’t know you were so affectionate. Or into astrology,” Kenny hummed, enjoying the content noises coming from Craig as he ran his fingers through silky, black hair.

“Seems there’s a lot you don’t know about me,” Craig sighed serenely.

“Well I’m eager to learn,” Kenny promised him, leaning down to place a kiss on Craig’s cheek.


	2. Creekenny Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenny is nervous and excited about joining Craig and Tweek for date night. They're happy to have him tag along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a nice, simple date. no drama. just two boys and an enby sharing an evening together
> 
> thanks again to my wonderful babe Brandi for helping me edit <3
> 
> there will be a third chapter, which will be just PWP. i'll get to it when i get to it.

Kenny tried his best not to fidget as his sister was finishing with his makeup. It was hard not to move around with his nerves going haywire. He’d never been on a date with two people at  once, let alone with two kind, intelligent, and outstandingly gorgeous boys who made his heart flutter. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen; how dates like this worked. Tweek and Craig had a great relationship already and Kenny was paranoid out of his mind about ruining it for them.

Kenny had read up on polyamory.  As he scrolled through the pages, he had read about things like coping with feelings of jealousy, and how to discuss them with your partners. He felt sure that if either of them had any problems with going out with him they would have discussed it and called to cancel days before now, but his nerves were getting the better of him. He kept catching himself going over different reasons that the two might not show, or things that could happen to spoil the evening. Nevertheless, he felt a strange mixture of terror and joy as his train of thought was interrupted by one that was firmly planted in reality; this was really, actually, happening. 

Craig and Tweek had told him that they were going to be here by seven in the evening. Their voices had sounded full of their shit-eating grins; they giggled mercilessly when they told him they were taking him to a restaurant that had recently opened in town, but that he wasn't allowed to know specifically where. He was glad it was a new place, and not somewhere that they had already gone to; somewhere full of special memories to only the two of them.

He noticed Karen was putting the make-up away. “That was quick,” he remarked.

“No,” Karen laughed, “you just spaced out.”

“Oh.”

“Nervous about the date? You don’t usually get nervous before dates,” she commented, surprised and somewhat amused by her big brothers pre-date jitters.

“This date is just different. Tweek and Craig are already together and they’re letting me in on that. I’ve never done anything like this before. And I haven’t been this into most people I’ve dated as much as I’m into Craig. Plus, Tweek’s a good friend of mine. I just don’t wanna mess this up for them.”

“Well, I don’t really know much about romance so there’s nothing I can say to you. Just, whatever happens, happens? It’ll all turn out alright in the end,” she smiled up at him meekly.

Kenny pulled her into a tight hug and she wrapped her arms around him instinctively. “Just you trying your best to make me feel better is enough, hun. I feel better about this already. I’m sure this’ll go great! And even if it doesn’t, I’m sure it won’t go so bad that I lose them both as friends. Thank you.”

A car horn ripped through the quiet, loving atmosphere and both McCormick’s shrieked like banshees, clinging to each other tighter than before. Kenny looked out the window and saw a car parked down by the curb. He could see into the car a little and it looked like Tweek was scolding Craig. So it was that asshole’s fault. Kenny sighed, trying to get the jitters down before getting up off the bed and kissing his sister goodbye on the forehead.

“See you later, sweetie.”

“Bye-bye, Princess Kenny! Have fun! Hug Tweek for me!”

Kenny ignored the raised eyebrow look he received from his father as he stepped through the living room and out the front door. The front passenger door was open for him when he arrived at the car. Craig scooted over and sat in the middle to let Kenny have the window seat. He was surprised. He didn’t see a lot of cars with a front bench seat. It looked pretty old, though well taken care of. As soon as he slid into the seat and shut the door, Kenny noticed Tweek was behind the wheel.

“Y-you know how to drive?” he questioned, hoping the slight shake in his voice didn’t reveal how anxious the idea made him. What maniac gave this sleep-deprived, caffeine addicted, bundle of nerves a license?

Unfortunately, Tweek did notice. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. I learned how to drive the second my dad got this car and I got quite good at driving real quick. I’ve had my license for two years, dude.”

“And where did your dad get this car? The 70′s?” Kenny snarked at him.

“Good guess. That actually is when this car was made. It’s a Plymouth Roadrunner. Some uncle of mine died a few years ago and left this car to my dad. I didn’t know him,” Tweek added the last part quickly before Kenny could offer his condolences. “Hell, my dad even needed a minute to remember who the guy was. But hey, free car.”

Kenny let out a sharp laugh. “Ha! Wow, that’s cold. The dude dies but you don’t care because, hey, free car. Wooow.”

“Oh shut up. I didn’t know him. My dad barely knew him! Geez.”

Tweek turned the keys and made the car roar to life, driving off toward the commercial area of South Park. Craig finally looked Kenny over and admired his outfit.

He wore a powder blue empire dress with a yellow band separating the bust from the skirt, which stopped just below his knees. There were no sleeves, so it proudly showed off his graceful shoulders, clearly toned but slender enough to work in the dress. Adorning his neck was a chain style necklace with a simple gold cross that rested a little below his collarbone, and blue aquamarine drop earrings hung from his ear lobes. His feet were wedged into black peep-toe ankle strap platforms. His makeup was simple and clean, with the black eyeliner bringing full attention to his breathtaking cornflower blue eyes, pale blue eye-shadow and lipstick completing the blue color theme of his ensemble.

Craig felt a shy smile take his lips. He suddenly couldn’t bring himself to look at Kenny anymore, finding him too brilliant to look at, much  like how gazing off into the untouched beauty of a snowy landscape will leave you blinded by the sun. “You look very nice,” he forced himself to say, fighting this sudden onslaught of timidity. He felt exasperated with himself for not thinking of a better compliment. ‘Very nice. How lame can you get, Tucker?’

Kenny blushed and laced his fingers together, pressing his hands down on his lap. “Thank you.”

Tweek smiled at the interaction, though they kept laser focus on the road and refused to look elsewhere.

They finally arrived at the restaurant and Tweek pulled the car into a curbside parking spot a few steps from the door. Tweek exited the vehicle and walked briskly to the passenger side to get the door for Kenny and Craig. The two waited while they locked up and came back to their side. They finally got a good look at Kenny now that they were in a well lit area. “You’re stunning,” they told him, Craig giving them a slightly annoyed glare at having given a better compliment. Tweek shot him an amused look that said “get over it, you nerd.”

Kenny was glad to find that he was neither over or under dressed. It was a relatively expensive establishment, but nothing too much for this quiet mountain town, so his outfit was acceptable. They were all seated and looked over the menu in silence for a moment.

“So you two haven’t been here before?” Kenny inquired, almost hoping he’d been wrong so they could give him some recommendations.

“No, but Kyle, Stan, and Wendy have been here a few times. They told Craig and I some of their favorites,” Tweek told him, taking their phone out to look at the texts Wendy sent them about the food.

The three ordered and waited patiently. Kenny wasn’t sure where to start with the conversation. He was unusually anxious. “You two look really good too,” was all he could think to say.

Tweek looked down at themself, as if forgetting what they had dressed in. “Oh, thank you!” they answered, flustered at the abrupt compliment.  They soothed some wrinkles from their short puffy sleeved mantis green blouse, which made a beautiful light earth tone with the long umber brown knife pleated skirt it was tucked into . Craig was dressed simply in a plain white button up, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and dark blue jeans. Tweek was wearing black Mary Janes and Craig had stuffed his feet into a pair of black oxfords.

“I’m kinda surprised either of you know how to dress nice. Everything you guys got on is so form fitting. It’s so funny when guys try to dress fancy because they usually wear clothes that are too loose. It looks like a little kid putting on their parents clothes, but your clothes fit you nicely. Did you make that effort just for me? You guys’ve been dating for a while so I bet you’ve fallen into just dressing however,” Kenny kept the conversation fashion centered.

“Heh, yeah. After you’ve been a while, you get super comfortable with each other so you don’t feel the need to try so hard in some areas. We already had these clothes but we busted ‘em out just for you. We even ironed them,” Tweek said in a compelling tone, as if it were something to be impressed by.

“Ooh, you certainly know how to make a guy feel special,” Kenny feigned enthrallment. “And that makes me feel better about my dress, since I already had this too. I would’ve felt bad if I showed up in something old when you guys bought new clothes for this.”

“Nice clothes are too expensive,” Craig blurted out, leaning back in his chair, about to tilt back and balance it on it’s hind legs before Tweek scolded him about improper restaurant behavior.

“Yeah, really,” Kenny agreed, pithy answers leaving him at another loss for words. “Um, I think it’s really cute when blondes wear earth tones. It’s like, their clothes and body make the earth and their head is the sun,” he addressed Tweek, internally kicking himself for letting such an absurd thought escape his lips, but Tweek chuckled sincerely.

“It is like that, isn’t it? I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that. It’s so cute!” Tweek exclaimed joyfully. “Dude, that was pretty  _ bright  _ of you.”

Kenny’s smirked opportunistically at the invitation of puns. “Thank you. I just seem to  _ radiate brilliance _ , don’t I?”

“Your wit truly  _ shines  _ through at the best times,” Tweek chortled. “It really  _ brightens  _ my mood.”

“God, please stop the light puns. It really  _ ignites  _ my temper,” Craig joined in, rolling his eyes spuriously.

Tweek and Kenny lost it then, the impact of Craig’s jokes empowered by his unforeseen merge into the conversation.

They heard someone loudly clear their throat and they immediately calmed down to accept the food from the waiter, all three blushing bashfully.

“Heh, gotta remember where we are,” Kenny noted awkwardly.

“Yeah, some huffy no fun zone, apparently,” noticing the glares of the older patrons. “God forbid we actually laugh at things and mean it.”

Kenny and Tweek snirked, beginning to dig into their food. All three of them erupted into a symphony of moans as the flavor caressed their taste buds.

Kenny had to remind himself to slow down and not stuff his face like he would at  home, when there was actually food there for him to eat that way. At first he felt bad about ordering one of the most expensive things on the menu, even though Craig and Tweek already insisted that he not worry about it, but he had no regrets now. The three of them traded bites of their food with each other despite the other patrons looking at them incredulously.

“The dressing on that salad is amazing, and I like how the cherry tomatoes pop in your mouth,” Kenny commented after Craig shoved a forkful of glossy green vegetables and a tomato in his face. “Surprised by your choice though.”

“Yeah, by the way, I’m a vegetarian,” Craig told him before taking another bite.

“I think it’s because of how much time he spends with his guinea pigs,” Tweek smiled at Kenny. “They’re taking over his mind, making him more like them. Soon he’ll be tearing apart newspapers with his teeth and squealing.”

Kenny laughed as quietly as he could while still making it sound genuine, hiding his mouth with his hand so his food didn’t show. “But Craig, you ate that turkey sandwich I bought for you on our first date.”

“I didn’t want to seem rude by turning it down,” Craig blushed slightly. Kenny rolled his eyes tenderly at him.

“Well I’ll remember to get you a carrot instead next time,” he offered, earning a not so affectionate roll of the eyes from Craig.

The other patrons sighed quietly in relief as the boys  paid for their meal and left, for the trio’s demeanor quickly devolved into loud conversation and huge bursts of laughter, almost as if to spite the restaurant's other patrons. How they weren’t kicked out was a mystery. Kenny stuck his tongue out at some stuffy old geezer who’d been glaring at them since they stepped foot into the eatery.

“Maaan, that meal was boss!” Kenny exclaimed, stretching after having sat so long to get his blood pumping again. “And filling,” he added as he rested a hand on his stomach.

“We didn’t get kicked out but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were reluctant to let us back in. Those guys did  _ not  _ like us, heh,” Tweek laughed nervously as he held the car door open for Craig and Kenny.

“I dunno what those guys are thinking, acting all high and mighty just because they’re in some faux fancy restaurant. They’re still a bunch of hicks in a backwater town. You can put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig,” Craig remarked dryly as Tweek  settled into the driver's drivers seat and shut the door.

“Oh here comes Craig, spittin’ that deep shit again. Drag ‘em, babe,” Kenny encouraged him.

“Nah, Tweek hates when I talk shit. Them and their positive vibes,” Craig lightly elbowed Tweek to let them know he wasn’t seriously mocking him. “So, where to now?”

“You guys didn’t have this all planned out beforehand?”

“No, dinner was our plan, but it’s still early, so you get to decide the other half of the date,” Tweek smiled at him.

“That’s for the heads up. You guys are really spontaneous,” Kenny mumbled to himself as he thought of someplace to go at 8:30 p.m. that wasn’t too expensive. “Um, well, how about dinner and a movie?”

“Wanna go to the theater?” Tweek offered.

“Nah, I’m not into any of the movies they’re showing right now. I was thinking we could go to one of your places and just chill and watch a movie.”

“That sounds nice. I don’t usually like going to theaters anyway. Sitting in the dark for two hours while surrounded by strangers is just… eugh,” Tweek said as an uneasy expression molded their face. “Let’s go to my place. My parents aren’t home, so we can watch movies in the living room without disturbing anyone,” they continued when Craig showed no sign of objection and drove off to their house.

When they arrived at the Tweak residence, Tweek once again rushed to open the door for Kenny and Craig. Kenny giggled at the act and offered Tweek a kiss on their cheek to reward their chivalry. Tweek blushed and hid their face shyly. Craig urged them inside to get out of the cold.

“S-so, what do you wanna watch?” Tweek stuttered lightheartedly as they brought Kenny over to their family’s DVD collection. “O-or we could watch something on Netflix or whatever,” they couldn’t stop blushing.

Kenny chose an animated movie from the collection and the three kicked off their shoes and huddled up on the couch with some pastries Tweek had made earlier that day, lovingly squishing each other in an attempt to be as close as possible. Kenny felt warm and safe between Tweek and Craig and he smiled as they leaned over him to share a brief kiss and smiled even wider when they both planted kisses on his cheeks simultaneously. He melted into them and entwined his fingers with theirs.  He feigned a whine about his hands being held prisoner, hoping Tweek would use their free hand to feed him, and ignoring Craig's assessment that it was his own fault.


End file.
